Upshot: What Musk is missing

Also: Visualizing stopping an outbreak

View in browser|nytimes.com April 14, 2025 The New York Times Why Elon Musk Hasn't Come Close to Finding $1 Trillion in Cuts He seems to be realizing something that budget nerds have long known. By Alicia Parlapiano, Margot Sanger-Katz and Josh Katz Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Musk's Latest Fraud Finding Isn't What It Seems His team found cases of seemingly fake people receiving unemployment benefits. But that fake data exists for a reason. By Emily Badger Feedback For suggestions on how we can improve this newsletter, write to theupshotnewsletter@nytimes.com. If you have a compelling data set you'd like us to pursue, send it to dear.upshot@nytimes.com. WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS The New York Times Can You Stop an Outbreak of a Contagious Disease? An interactive explanation of outbreaks, vaccines and herd immunity. By Aatish Bhatia and Francesca Paris The New York Times Flashback: Your Weekly History Quiz, April 12, 2025 Can you sort 8 historical events? The New York Times How Much Are Tariffs on Chinese Goods? It's Trickier Than You Think. The tariff rate on Chinese imports can be as high as 245% or zero, depending on the type of product that is being imported. By Agnes Chang, Lazaro Gamio and Pablo Robles IN CASE YOU MISSED IT The New York Times House Republicans Passed a New Budget. Here's What's in It. It calls for more tax cuts and fewer reductions in spending. It would increase the federal debt by a lot more. By Margot Sanger-Katz and Alicia Parlapiano The Unlikely Republicans Who Could Save Medicaid If congressional Republicans go through with some of the deep Medicaid cuts they are considering, three states would be left in an especially tight bind. Margot Sanger-Katz, a reporter for The New York Times who covers health care policy and public health, describes how the Republican senators from those states could become an unlikely part of the firewall against big cuts to Medicaid. By Margot Sanger-Katz, Laura Bult, Karen Hanley and James Surdam Like this email? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Upshot from The New York Times. To stop receiving The Upshot, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018